Authors:

MarySara Albert

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About Paper:

Plants, including agricultural crops, must respond to biotic and abiotic stressors, often repeatedly over its lifetime. Plants have been hypothesized to "remember" these events through epigenetic regulation to better respond to iterated stressors, such as nitrogen deficiency, although possible epigenetic mechanisms remain presumptive. Here, using "Arabidopsis thaliana" and nitrogen deficiency as a model, I exhibit preliminary results that indicate a relationship between nitrogen deficiency stress memory and DNA methylation as an epigenetic regulation, along with technical insights for future experiment iterations. During this study, I grew wild type "Arabidopsis thaliana" under three nitrogen deficiency stress treatments: Group S2 experienced two stress periods, a 24-hour initial stress exposure and a 6-day extended stress; Group S1 experienced just the extended stress; and Group S0 remained in sufficient nitrogen. I grew mutant rdm1, who has inhibited RNA- directed DNA methylation, with the same three stress treatment groups, referred to as mS2, mS1, and mS0. My study showed improved chlorophyll levels in group S2 compared to S1, suggesting a stress memory phenotype, while that of the rdm1 mutant did not, hinting nitrogen deficiency stress memory is dependent on a DNA methylation. These promising preliminary results should be further examined in future experimental repeats, with improved growth conditions to minimize contamination and growth stressors. Better understanding nitrogen deficiency stress memory is vital for farmers in a world where fertilizers are becoming more expensive and environmentally damaging. By understanding its mechanism, stress memory could be utilized in maximizing the efficiency of fertilizer usage in major agricultural crops.

Source:

Purdue University / 2023

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Co-authors:

MarySara Albert